What Is a Cheap Way to Redo Kitchen Floors?

Paint a tile pattern on a kitchen floor for a retro look.

Kitchen floors withstand a lot of abuse over the years: spills of both hot and cold items, a steady amount of foot traffic and, if there's furniture in the room, scuff marks from table and chair legs. Over time, the floor may look dirty, cloudy or just not so nice anymore. Rather than tearing out the entire floor and starting fresh, you can give the existing flooring a makeover for a fraction of the cost.

Paper Bags

Torn brown grocery bags or craft paper give a floor the look of flagstone or leather, depending on whether you crumple the paper before decoupaging it down. Prep the floor by sanding away rough spots or patching holes with a plastic putty or wood filler. The paper is torn into shapes similar to large rocks, with some smaller pieces as filler. A thick coat of decoupage medium or watered-down school glue on the backs of the paper pieces holds the paper faux stones in place. Several coats of polyurethane protect the paper once the glue or decoupage medium dries.

Paint

If the floor is in such bad shape that nothing you do can make the existing material look good, paint can give it an entirely new look. Paint works on wood, linoleum or vinyl and covers flaws on the existing finish. Sanding the existing floor enough to scuff it up creates a surface paint can adhere to. Wood filler or plastic putty fills cracks to create a smooth floor. A quality primer, followed by several coats of floor paint, gives the floor a new finish. Create stripes, diamonds or squares by masking off areas of the floor with painter's tape, then painting some of the design work in a second color. A coat or two of polyurethane seals the paint and helps protect it from scratches.

Refinishing Wood Floors

If your kitchen has hardwood flooring that has seen better days, you can either go for the distressed, aged wood look or refinish the floor for a newer appearance. For the distressed look, sand away rough areas and fill large holes with wood putty. Give it additional "distress" by beating areas of the floor with a bag of nuts and bolts, or by hitting it with various sides of a hammer. Rub a bit of watered-down dark paint over the dents to give them the look of age. For a refinished look, fill holes with putty, sand away the existing varnish on the entire floor and coat it with several coats of fresh polyurethane, sanding lightly between coats.

Floor Cloth

Floor cloths offer protection and fresh decor for the floor without having to tear out the existing flooring. Use a canvas drop cloth as large as your kitchen floor, or connect two together with carpet tape on the bottom to create one large piece. Paint the decor of your choice on the canvas with acrylic or latex paints: diamonds, stripes, interlocking rings or a stenciled pattern of featuring vines or owls, for instance. Protect your work with two coats of polyurethane to each side of the cloth; this will help protect it against spills and dirt and allow for easier cleanup.

About the Author

Kathy Adams won several investigative journalism awards from the Associated Press. Adams has ghostwritten several books and content for A-list musicians' websites. She is equally at home repurposing furniture and found objects into art as she is managing bands and community gardening efforts, running non-profit organizations and writing about healthy alternatives to household chemicals.